The present invention relates generally to high temperature superconductors. More specifically, the present invention provides methods for the fabrication of high temperature superconducting thick films, tapes, and wires, as well as superconducting films, tapes, and wires.
A variety of superconducting systems are known. Although superconducting materials have a great many potential applications, due to their physical nature and structure, it is difficult to fabricate superconductive materials into useful shapes. Such useful shapes include films, tapes, and wires. The ability to fabricate superconducting materials into useful shapes would provide many advantages such as, for example, providing low cost processing and manufacturing and a guide to the manufacture of new and higher temperature superconducting films. Furthermore, with respect to the Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O superconducting system, the ability to fabricate such shapes could minimize potential problems caused by the toxicity and volatility of Tl.sub.2 O.sub.3 superconducting materials.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 155,247, filed on Feb. 12, 1988, in the names of Hermann and Sheng, discloses Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O superconducting materials and processes for making same. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 236,507, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,083 filed on Aug. 25, 1988, in the names of the inventors of the present patent application discloses processes for making Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O superconducting films. The patent application discloses a Tl-evaporation process through which Ca-Ba-Cu-O precursors are formed into Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O films, tapes, and wires.